XBMC 12 Frodo Beta 2 Is Out for Grabs, Adds Android Support

This latest iteration of XBMC will run on some Android-powered devices

XBMC, an open source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media that is available for multiple platforms, is now at version 12 Beta 2.

XBMC 12 Beta 2 has been dubbed Frodo and brings tons of fixes, but the most important change is by far the introduction of Android Support.

The developers have explained that, if you want to take advantage of this beta, you will need a fairly modern Android phone, tablet, or other device.

The device in question has to include the NEON extension. In case you don't know whether your device has it, just install XBMC for Android apk. If the device is not supported, XBMC will post a warning when the user tries to launch the app and it will exit. If it is, and it isn’t included on the provided XBMC for Android compatibility list, feel free to add it.

As a side note, it seems that an update for Android 4.2 has temporarily broken XBMC support for all the Nexus and Cyanogenmod users, and anyone using the 4.2 version for that matter. The next Beta in line should be able to correct this problem.

Another important addition to this powerful distribution is the introduction of support for the Xbox 360 Controller.

According to the developers, the previously outdated 360 keymap has been updated and dramatically improved so that now almost any 360 controller, regardless of version, should be immediately recognized by XBMC assuming a driver is in place.

Check out the official announcement for a complete list of new features, updates and changes. Don't forget to also consult the XBMC for Android compatibility list.

Download XBMC 12 Beta 2 right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a beta version and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended for testing purposes only.